We awoke early on Monday morning and were out the door by 7am, on our way to the Monteverde cloudforest. Seth and Majela had not been there before, and believe it or not, neither had we! We were on the road for an hour or so and we stopped for some delicious ´pinto´, the local breakfast specialty. When we got back on our way we were surprised to find the turn off just around the corner. It was time for our hellish ride to begin - the road up there is notoriously terrible, 35km is a long way....
We were all pleasantly surprised when we found ourselves cruising down a beautifully fresh, tarmac highway! Seth was a little concerned as to how he could have missed the news of the new road, but was ultimately relieved! The scenery grew increasingly beautiful as we climbed but the road abrubptly turned to gravel, and then to dust, and then to mud. Before we knew it our gorgeous road was gone, we had fortunately got a little more than half way though.
Seth´s ´billy goat´ ride took us through the unbelievably potholed "road" unscathed and we arrived at our destination, the rain forest living up to it´s name with a light drizzle. When we knocked on the door of out hotel it appeared to be empty. We had chosen this place as it was home to one of the original Quakers (yes Quakers!) that had founded the area. We waited and still no one turned up so we decided to try some other places. We were pleasantly surprised when we stumbled upon the Mariposa Lodge, closer to the park entrance and we were able to secure ourselves our own 2 bed apartment for the evening! Before we left for our hike in the cloudforest proper, we went and stocked up, hiking snacks, nibbles and of course rum, limes and beer for our return!
We arrived in the park and started on the hike we had chosen, The Triangle, circumnavigating the whole park. It really was a wonderful experience. The path is literally carved into the vigin cloud forest, the light rain only adding to the authenticity! We wandered past streams and waterfalls, gorges and cliffs, all the while being extremely optimistic about spotting the greatly sought after Quetzal. We didn´t see one of theses elusive birds but we had a great time none the less! We finished our day in Monteverde hanging out in our cabin apartment, enjoying our beers, rum and company.
As we left the cloudforest we decided to check out the cheese factory there, started by the founding Quakers. Unfortunately no tour, or free tasting, but we did spot some very odd looking choco-cheese! We then embarked on the bumpy ride back to civilisation!
On the way back to Santa Barbara we stopped in the small beach town of Punta Reinas and had some good seafood and a short walk along the promenade. We then started back for Seth & Mayela´s where we spent our last evening with the family, eating great spaghetti, watching McHale´s Navy and playing a local version of Monopoly!
The following day we were up with the kids at 630, said our goodbyes and were off to the airport for our flight to Panama. It was sad to leave the home we had had for the past week and the family that had been so wonderful to us. Time to become real backpackers again though......
(..... now we just want the luxury back!!!!)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
More Costa Rican Bliss!
We have been enjoying our stay here so much we haven't had the time to blog! But we are leaving for Panama tomorrow so thought we had better catch up a little.
After we hiked on Friday Seth took us to see an amazing waterfall at the base of a number of cascades. It was great, we were able to walk behind it and peer down into the pool of foam that lay beneath, home to the old bridge! We spent the evening hanging out in the sauna and watching movies, it was so nice to relax in a homely manner!
After a relatively early night, we got up on Saturday and went to 'Hiper Mas', fingers crossed, to find a new camera. We emerged triumphant with a great new camera that we were itching to try out. Whilst the kids went to the dentist, we got a tour of Santa Barbara and it's farmers market, including some awesome shrimp ceviche and coconuts! We wandered some more in town and decided to go for a really great lunch (they know how to do pork in this country!) and then to the local zoo! They had lots of great birds and monkeys and all kinds of animals. Aswell as the animals, the entire park was home to thousands of big 'ol spiders with golden threads..... apparantly not poisonous but definately scary looking! We came back to the house and relaxed before our big night out. Seth's friend Alex was having a bar opening - cowboy themed! We started with a quick beer and a shot at Mr. Pitufo's and then onto Bar Trapiche. As we pulled up the entire bar seemed to explode, it was someones birthday and the tiny bar had an 8 piece band in it! It was quite the experience, totally authentic and we enjoyed the music with a couple of beers and some more ceviche! When we got to Alex's bar the party was already underway and we joined in with the fun, Jen even ended up in a beer chugging contest! We rolled home later ready for bed and extremely merry!
Our Sunday started off with a football game, the biggest team in Costa Rica, Saprissa, was playing right here in town. It was a lot of fun to sit in the stands with Majela, Freddy and Jazmine, taking in the local flair and a sausage-in-a-taco!! The game ended 1-1, not a great result for Saprissa. After the game we walked back to the house, had lunch and hung out until it was time for us to go to 'Cuento de Navidad', the Christmas play, at Cafe Brit, not too far away. It was 'A Christmas Carol', in Spanish of course, and it was a lot of fun! We were able to follow along and enjoy as many of the jokes as possible. We finished our Sunday evening with a family trip to a great pizza place, we tucked in and came home for to get a good nights rest before we headed for the cloud forest 1st thing yesterday morning.
Well thats enough for now, pics and more story to follow!
After we hiked on Friday Seth took us to see an amazing waterfall at the base of a number of cascades. It was great, we were able to walk behind it and peer down into the pool of foam that lay beneath, home to the old bridge! We spent the evening hanging out in the sauna and watching movies, it was so nice to relax in a homely manner!
After a relatively early night, we got up on Saturday and went to 'Hiper Mas', fingers crossed, to find a new camera. We emerged triumphant with a great new camera that we were itching to try out. Whilst the kids went to the dentist, we got a tour of Santa Barbara and it's farmers market, including some awesome shrimp ceviche and coconuts! We wandered some more in town and decided to go for a really great lunch (they know how to do pork in this country!) and then to the local zoo! They had lots of great birds and monkeys and all kinds of animals. Aswell as the animals, the entire park was home to thousands of big 'ol spiders with golden threads..... apparantly not poisonous but definately scary looking! We came back to the house and relaxed before our big night out. Seth's friend Alex was having a bar opening - cowboy themed! We started with a quick beer and a shot at Mr. Pitufo's and then onto Bar Trapiche. As we pulled up the entire bar seemed to explode, it was someones birthday and the tiny bar had an 8 piece band in it! It was quite the experience, totally authentic and we enjoyed the music with a couple of beers and some more ceviche! When we got to Alex's bar the party was already underway and we joined in with the fun, Jen even ended up in a beer chugging contest! We rolled home later ready for bed and extremely merry!
Our Sunday started off with a football game, the biggest team in Costa Rica, Saprissa, was playing right here in town. It was a lot of fun to sit in the stands with Majela, Freddy and Jazmine, taking in the local flair and a sausage-in-a-taco!! The game ended 1-1, not a great result for Saprissa. After the game we walked back to the house, had lunch and hung out until it was time for us to go to 'Cuento de Navidad', the Christmas play, at Cafe Brit, not too far away. It was 'A Christmas Carol', in Spanish of course, and it was a lot of fun! We were able to follow along and enjoy as many of the jokes as possible. We finished our Sunday evening with a family trip to a great pizza place, we tucked in and came home for to get a good nights rest before we headed for the cloud forest 1st thing yesterday morning.
Well thats enough for now, pics and more story to follow!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Ticos and Ticas
So we hopped on the first chicken bus to La Virgen, then caught another one to the border. Immigration was pretty fast, and we were sorted out by 8:30. The 9:30 bus to San Jose was sold out, so we played cards with Tamara and James until the 10:30 bus. Less than $8 to get there- not bad! We passed out on the bus, woke up briefly to say adios to our fellow gringos as they departed at Monteverde, and then slept again. Our phone was dead, and we didn't have the number for Seth, whose house we would be staying at, so we had to ride in to the center of San Jose and look for an internet cafe. Just our luck, it began raining as soon as we got off the bus. We were in a pretty bad area of town, and it was getting dark, so we ran into a few hotels asking for directions. Found the cafe, got a hold of Seth, then hopped in a tragic cab for the hour long ride to Santa Barbara. The driver was frightening, and quite stupid, and we were thankful to get there in one piece. He got lost constantly!!! We were finally dropped off in front of the church, where he tried to demand more money than we had agreed upon. Thanks guy!
Seth showed up and got rid of the driver, then off we went to a bar for some dinner! Delicious beans and rice with crunchy pork on top, washed down with a cold Imperial. Mmmm welcome to Costa Rica! We then hopped over to Mr. Pitufo's bar, with looks like it is in a 1950's time warp. Very charming! Caught up with Seth, who is an old friend of the family that I have known basically my whole life, and then headed up to his house in the hills to meet the family. The kids, Jasmine and Freddy, were still up, and super energetic. We also met Seth's lovely Tica wife, Mayela. We got the grand tour of the house, and went to bed early. Long day of travel!
The following morning, we had a great breakfast made by the maid, Lydia, and then spent the day lounging by the pool. It was so nice to relax! The sauna wasn't so bad either!! We got caught up on our reading, and almost caught up on our journaling. In the evening, we headed off to a few local bars, then to the grand opening of the posh bar Pitch. Pretty fancy, with camera crews and a live band. Oh, and free rum! We had a great time. Interesting clientele, and we wondered what type of longevity a place like that will have.
Friday morning, we went to Volcan Poas to hike up to the crater. It was a short walk, actually, on a paved road, and it was beautiful at the top! The fog was rolling over the top and mixing with the volcanic vapors- very scenic! Tough to describe, but photos will follow soon! We then hiked up a narrow trail lined with green trees and bushes, and lots of moss. We arrived at the other crater, which is now an acidic lake. Gorgeous views! Lovely short hike as well. It was nice to see some of the scenic beauty of Costa Rica. Ahhhhh gotta go, more soon!
Seth showed up and got rid of the driver, then off we went to a bar for some dinner! Delicious beans and rice with crunchy pork on top, washed down with a cold Imperial. Mmmm welcome to Costa Rica! We then hopped over to Mr. Pitufo's bar, with looks like it is in a 1950's time warp. Very charming! Caught up with Seth, who is an old friend of the family that I have known basically my whole life, and then headed up to his house in the hills to meet the family. The kids, Jasmine and Freddy, were still up, and super energetic. We also met Seth's lovely Tica wife, Mayela. We got the grand tour of the house, and went to bed early. Long day of travel!
The following morning, we had a great breakfast made by the maid, Lydia, and then spent the day lounging by the pool. It was so nice to relax! The sauna wasn't so bad either!! We got caught up on our reading, and almost caught up on our journaling. In the evening, we headed off to a few local bars, then to the grand opening of the posh bar Pitch. Pretty fancy, with camera crews and a live band. Oh, and free rum! We had a great time. Interesting clientele, and we wondered what type of longevity a place like that will have.
Friday morning, we went to Volcan Poas to hike up to the crater. It was a short walk, actually, on a paved road, and it was beautiful at the top! The fog was rolling over the top and mixing with the volcanic vapors- very scenic! Tough to describe, but photos will follow soon! We then hiked up a narrow trail lined with green trees and bushes, and lots of moss. We arrived at the other crater, which is now an acidic lake. Gorgeous views! Lovely short hike as well. It was nice to see some of the scenic beauty of Costa Rica. Ahhhhh gotta go, more soon!
Nica pictures!
Pictures from Granada, before the camera incident (glad we had saved them!!)
Pictures from SJdS, AFTER the camera incident. (Thanks Becky and Chris for letting us borrow your camera!!!)
Pictures from SJdS, AFTER the camera incident. (Thanks Becky and Chris for letting us borrow your camera!!!)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
W-w-w-wipeout!!!
We hopped into the truck to head to the beach for our surf lesson, unfortunately there was no more room in the back so we had to ride up front, with air-conditioning.... shame. We were particularly grateful when our short journey to the beach turned out to be an hours ride on another wonderful Nicaraguan dirt road. It was worth it though, as when we arrived we were treated to a great view of the secluded beach we were to spend the rest of the day on.
After a quick how to with our instructor, an older local guy, we were in the water, floating on our boards with him holding us. As a wave came along he told us when to start paddling and gave us a nice push onto the wave, all we really had to do was stand up! It wasn't quite that easy but we gave it our best shot and both of us (in fact Jen before I) were standing on our boards, wobbling along within 15 or 20 mins. It was now time to try it on our own and 2 and a half hours later our bodies were battered and broken but content (edit: Jen just wants me to recognise here that she was the only one in the water the whole time and the teacher said she was the best student.)!
We spent the whole afternoon in the water, trying again and again, succeeding and failing! The most frustrating thing was that even if one was successful, for 30 seconds of standing up we had to walk/swim/paddle for 10 minutes to get back to the same spot to start over again! It was great fun and we both surprised ourselves as to how well we took to the water, we did suffer though - sore knees, bruised ribs and especially for Jen, more bruises unaccounted for! Who knew it would be such a brutal sport?!?
After another long truck journey back (again, we were a little slow getting into the back of the trucks and just HAD to sit in the cab!) we knew it was time for a big meal and several beers, so the group of us went to Jerry's Pizza and feasted on good slices and great company...... and cold beers! We hung out for the evening, played some crazy 8 countdown, and headed off to bed after a grueling game, as we were getting up at 6am to the bus to the border of Costa Rica!!
After a quick how to with our instructor, an older local guy, we were in the water, floating on our boards with him holding us. As a wave came along he told us when to start paddling and gave us a nice push onto the wave, all we really had to do was stand up! It wasn't quite that easy but we gave it our best shot and both of us (in fact Jen before I) were standing on our boards, wobbling along within 15 or 20 mins. It was now time to try it on our own and 2 and a half hours later our bodies were battered and broken but content (edit: Jen just wants me to recognise here that she was the only one in the water the whole time and the teacher said she was the best student.)!
We spent the whole afternoon in the water, trying again and again, succeeding and failing! The most frustrating thing was that even if one was successful, for 30 seconds of standing up we had to walk/swim/paddle for 10 minutes to get back to the same spot to start over again! It was great fun and we both surprised ourselves as to how well we took to the water, we did suffer though - sore knees, bruised ribs and especially for Jen, more bruises unaccounted for! Who knew it would be such a brutal sport?!?
After another long truck journey back (again, we were a little slow getting into the back of the trucks and just HAD to sit in the cab!) we knew it was time for a big meal and several beers, so the group of us went to Jerry's Pizza and feasted on good slices and great company...... and cold beers! We hung out for the evening, played some crazy 8 countdown, and headed off to bed after a grueling game, as we were getting up at 6am to the bus to the border of Costa Rica!!
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